Blog ~ Page 317 of 348 ~ Fractal Enlightenment

The Enigmatic Art of Sylvian Dousset

Artwork

Clyde

-

February 12, 2014

Sylvian Dousset, a mix media artist from France, uses his art to convey messages of peace, love, serenity and spiritual enlightenment. A look at his art and you are confronted by the merger of digital to analog, human to animal, tribal to modern.

Its difficult to place Sylvian’s art into a particular category, as he himself puts it, like his own reality his art is an extension of his evolutionary process which is still growing.

His goal is to create a portal that will open the doors of consciousness for the viewers where his/her inner self resides, enable the unlocking of the “cosmic child”. Lets get to know more about Dousset’s journey as an artist…

When did you discover your passion for art and how?

I have always been drawing, as long as I can remember, since I was a child. My Grandfather used to teach me basic drawing as a kid and I was fond of history books, always drawing and imagining things from what I saw.

My passion for Art grew year after year and as I was very sensitive and contemplative, I guess that drawing was the best way for me express myself, living in my own world. After school graduation I naturally went to an Art school in Angouleme, France. At that time I wanted to be a painter but I was always interested in all the new things they had to offer there, so I tried many things like learning how to do comics, sculpting, photography and so on.

Then when the time came to work for a living and I put aside the “I wanna be a true artist, free of all form of restraint” part of myself to become a digital artist, working for video-game companies…And life went on, I forgot that at first I dreamt of being a painter.

It came back full mode years later…I guess I was tired of being told what I had to draw or create, even if it was fun to participate in video-game developments. I also came into a deep spiritual awakening phase and it became more and more obvious that Art was the real path I wanted to follow in order to really find and realize myself in. So here I am!

What is your art, is there a specific genre and how do you create it?

I don’t know yet what my art really is, as it is an evolutive, intuitive and spiritual process. There is no specific genre, it is a fusion of oniric/fantasy/abstract and all the things I like…I guess I’m trying to make a cross over of two separate worlds: “art” and “illustration”…It’s a work in progress, a journey.

Right now I mostly use acrylics on canvas and ink on paper that I mix with digital work to make my art but I am still interested in any kind of media like working with wood, clay, metal and so on. The creative process is an intuitive one, I really try to quiet my mind and listen to a higher source of inspiration, most of the time, when I start a piece I do not know how I will do it and what it will look like once finished.

I could do a more rational/technical work but it is not at all the path or direction I am looking for. I really want to achieve a process of creation where I am just a tool and where a higher source is the creative one who guides my hand through the steps of realization for each piece.

What inspires you to create?

Everything can be a potential source of creativity for me, when you are in the “listening mode”, ideas can come from anywhere or anything, it comes from all the things I love to watch, all mixed together : History, art, nature, movies, comics, illustration, video games, music, architectures etc.

Mostly, I seem to be obsessed by combining the past and the future together through the mythological and archetypal “bestiaries” from the different cultures all around the world. Its like wanting to create my own parallel universe where all forms and period of time were recombined together in a science-fiction world. I don’t know if that even makes sense but that is the adventure I am on.

Is there a message that you wish to communicate through your art and what is it?

I would like my art to convey messages of peace, love, serenity and spiritual enlightenment but right now I’m still conversing with my old demons and the visual results of my art are mostly expressing that I guess : the journey from darkness to light through pain and silent screams. I am not trying to show to the viewer just a cool picture/illustration as I was doing before.

My goal is to make each time a different image like a key or a portal, something that will impact enough the viewer’s consciousness to access/open the door where resides his/her inner self, creativity, imagination, the place where the “cosmic child” is locked, the center of energy hiding from the conformity of our modern civilization, the “real you”.

That is why I do not respect the rules of classic illustration like composition/depths/perspectives and so on, I intend to show you an image that “hack” directly the deepest levels of your inner self.

I realize how pretentious/crazy, I probably sound but that is what I am trying to accomplish here in my artwork. As I continue my journey, I hope to be able to express it in a more peaceful, serene ways as I reckon that right now, most of my work is kind of dark.

Which is your favorite piece of work and why?

I do not have a favorite piece, really…so I would answer that my favorite piece is the next one, the one that don’t exist yet, the one that is still to be created. I am part of those artists that are reluctant to take a look at their production once it’s done, always searching to do something more accurate with their vision of it.

You also do metal sculptures? What are your various art forms you work with?

I would love to do metal sculptures but right now, I haven’t the skills nor the means to do it right now. I plan anyway to start soon to do some with clay and with 3d softwares. it will come in good time. As I was saying above, I mainly use acrylics on canvas and inks on papers that I mix with digital processing which are the tools I feel the most comfortable with but I’m also experimenting with plastic, wood, clay and metal, trying to make objects like boxes, masks and so on. Working on 3D models should be the natural next step for now.

What is your opinion on the times we live in?

Since as a kid, I always felt like something was wrong about the society’s system we are forced to live in. This is my world but this not my society, as for me, everything in it is inverted and/or corrupted. I do believe that living in this beautiful planet should be a constant amazement filled with peace, love and joy, knowledge and wisdom…when it is really a living hell for many to many of us, or at least a place filled with sadness, frustration, anger and suffering, ignorance and stupidity.

As for the time we are living in, I believe that, as the elite ruling this world are making their best efforts to enslave us into a form of reality, where most of us are forced to be extremely unfulfilled low version of themselves, the opposite natural reaction of the people is a slow worldwide awakening into a higher form of consciousness, thanks to the Internet.

It appears to me that the austerity/crisis/debt and all the banking and monetary system is an obvious fraud and that they are pushing us slowly to some form of rebellion/revolution where they will kill many of us and use it to justify the appliance of a new set of tyrannic rules to bring in their “NWO” plan.

What we should do is use only pacific ways to fight back like, for example, a worldwide total full on strike movement where the vast majority of us would stop working at the same time, blocking all the system at once and then imposing new constitutions written by the people, for the people. Call me crazy!

Check Out Sylvian Dousset’s pages on facebook:

Artwork of Sylvian Dousset

SF Cyborgs Mechas Robots Biomechs

Pandemonium

Adopting a Courage-based Lifestyle over a Fear-based one ~ Become The Tipping Point, Part 2

Life

Gary Z McGee

-

February 10, 2014

4

Adopting a Courage-based Lifestyle over a Fear-based one ~ Become The Tipping Point, Part 2

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin

In Malcom Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, he crafts an extended metaphor he refers to as “The Law of the Few,” a concept where, “the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.” What does it take to become one of these few? It takes the ability to adopt a courage-based lifestyle over a fear-based one.

The first thing we must ask ourselves is how entrenched is our culturally-prescribed worldview. Asking this important question gets us closer to realizing what we might be afraid of, while also revealing any pesky underlying cognitive dissonance that might be swaying our perceptions. The thing is: all of life is based upon condition. What condition were we born into? What state of socioeconomic affluence? What nationality? What religion or philosophy were we raised with?

If, as Robert Green Ingersoll suggested, “the intellectual advancement of man depends on how often he can exchange an old superstition for a new truth” then it stands to reason that the evolution of mankind itself advances depending upon how often we can exchange outdated methods of governance with more updated ones.

And does this not further suggest that personal growth depends upon how often we can stretch comfort zones, break mental paradigms, and think outside the box? Is not growth the ability to “move past” precondition in a healthy way? If so, then adopting a courage-based lifestyle is necessary to moving past, or transcending, the condition.

yin-yang-of-courage-and-fear — Courage/Fear

Most of us were raised to believe that everything is separate; that it’s a dog-eat-dog world; that we should fear each other and especially the dreaded “Other” or we may find ourselves in harm’s way. Being raised in such a way inculcates a fear-based perspective. When we live in a fear-based way, paranoia and the seeming need for rampant security are the norm.

Living a fear-based life leads to the need to control, which leads to victimization, which leads to trauma, which leads to inertia, which leads to a variety of psychological neurosis. And here we are.

But we don’t have to live this way. We can choose to live in a courage-based way, where love and cooperation are the norm. But it does take courage, an enormous amount of courage, tantamount to Herculean proportions. That’s why it’s referred to as the Law of the few. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, or a “pipe dream” or some wished-for, unattainable “utopia.”

It just means it will require an immense amount of effort. More than most can handle. Human beings once lived in healthy accord with each other, and with nature. We went from living in a democratic cooperative (eco-centric) way, to living in an exploitative competitive (ego-centric) way. But there’s nothing saying we can’t eventually reach a tipping point that tips the scales back in favor of a healthy equilibrium with the environment.

Living a courage-based lifestyle leads to freedom, which leads to the need to empower and free others, which leads to other courageous people, which can lead to a tipping point. It comes down to drawing a line in the “sand” of our all-too-conditioned hearts.

On the one side is the fear-based lifestyle. On the other side is the courage-based lifestyle. One side is coming from a place of fear and paranoia. The other side is coming from a place of courage and self-sacrifice.

If our goal is to become one of the few who will lead the majority toward a tipping point, then we need to become the type of person who is not filled with fear, but who is filled with ruthless love and unflinching compassion. We must leave behind the fear-based lifestyle; the lifestyle that panders to authority and quibbles over petty securities that just end up becoming shackles anyway.

But we also need to understand that the vast majority of people are still willing to live fear-based lifestyles. We should sympathize with them for having not woken up yet, but we should not pity them. It isn’t their fault that they were brainwashed and conditioned to live in a fear-based way, but it is definitely their responsibility to reeducate themselves and to break themselves of their condition.

We can lead people to knowledge, but we can’t make them think. We can, however, remain ruthless with our courage-based lifestyle, especially with those who are still living fear-based lifestyles. Call it hard love. Call it what you will. Like Derrick Jensen wrote, “Love does not imply pacifism.”

Part three of Becoming the Tipping Point will go into adopting a relationship-based lifestyle over an ownership-based one.

Image source:
Tightrope
Courage/Fear

Yopo: the Ancient Amazonian DMT Snuff

Juan Pablo Hern

-

February 10, 2014

5

Yopo is a visionary snuff used by various tribes in South America for over 4000 years! Nowadays, it’s mostly used by the tribes in the Amazonian Jungle – Yanomami and the Piaroa – who have managed to fend off the influence of the western world, for their spiritual and healing purpose.

Even to this day, they continue to hear the wisdom of the jungle in the form of Yopo snuff. The base of the snuff is prepared with dried seeds of the tree Anadenanthera Peregrina.

The dried seeds are lightly roasted and then ground into a fine powder that is mixed with ash (it helps to bring about the alkaloids), tobacco, honey and other ingredients that vary, usually to give the substance a pleasant odor.

The scientific name of the Anadenanthera Peregrina makes clear reference to the Sanskrit word ‘ananda’ meaning bliss. There are other variations of the tree which also have similar properties such as Anadenanthera Colubrina.

It can be said that yopo is a cousin of the sacred vine, Ayahuasca in two ways. One is that it also contains DMT. Secondly because yopo is usually ingested along with the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, one of the two plants that are used to prepare the ayahuasca brew. Although yopo can have a powerful effect by itself, when combined with Banisteriopsis caapi its effects are potentiated.

This happens because the vine contains MAOi (monoamine oxidase inhibiting), a chemical compound that our own body produces in order to break up substances such as DMT, allowing thus, the DMT to remain much longer in the system. The Yopo snuff also contains a combination of Bufotenin, and 5-MeO-DMT, molecules that are similar to DMT in chemical structure and produces a visionary experience.

The result of chewing Banisteriopsis caapi, is a very mild. There could be a tingling sensation in the mouth and a general numbness.

In contrast Yopo’s effect is sudden and intense. It can be inhaled by oneself with a sniff pipe or be blown into one’s nostrils by another person using a blow pipe (the idea being that when another person helps, much more of the substance reaches the mucous membranes, from where it gets absorbed into the bloodstream).

In the first five minutes, there can be a set of strong discomfort, mainly on the upper respiratory system. The nasal cavity and most of the pharynx swells up causing an itchy sensation that is accompanied by a lot of snort. After this, one can feel some pressure in the head and feel extreme nausea, which can also lead to vomiting.

After this short initial period of discomfort, the hallucinogenic effects kicks in suddenly. From ideas, time travel and abstract geometrical patterns, yopo gives you a memorable visionary experience. Personally, I was caught in a maelstrom of insights, battles, vision and realizations that left me quite tired and serene.

It is very abrupt making it hard to know what to expect. Personally I think the plant helps one finding their inner self, naked and pure with whom it dialogues like a doctor does: It reviewed my life and pointed out things that I needed to improve in a voice that sounded something like this: change this attitude here, put this confidence there, and keep walking your path. Now that I look back I can say that It was a beautiful spiritual tune-up.

During the intense part of the voyage people can get “hard to reach” (kind of like people under the effect of Salvia Divinorum), especially if they are inexperienced: the bombardment of visions makes it difficult to connect with the other world in a coherent manner. This initial spike of hallucinogenic potency does not last very long and subsequently fades away in a couple of hours.

In a traditional setting, the sessions are guided by a shaman who sings and plays instruments such as the rattle or a pan flute. Like with other entheogens, sounds greatly influence the dynamics of the experience, just like the environment and our mindset. Yopo shamans describe this experience as an opening of the 3rd eye, and being able to perceive into the light of the non-physical spiritual dimensions.

While some people prefer to do it in daylight other favor pitch black conditions (the strongest visual effects happens with the eyes shut). As for myself, I ponder not the amount of the ideal luminosity, but rather, whether or not I’m ready to be spiritually dissected by Yopo (because of its potency).

Image Source

Erowid

Adopting an Eco-centric Perspective Over an Egocentric one ~ Become the Tipping Point, Part 1

Life

Gary Z McGee

-

February 9, 2014

0

Adopting an Eco-centric Perspective Over an Egocentric one ~ Become the Tipping Point, Part 1

“Nature is not mute; it is man who is deaf.” –Terence McKenna

In his book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcom Gladwell defined a tipping point as “a moment of critical mass, a threshold, a boiling point.” As it stands, we have over seven billion “little things that can make a big difference” walking around on this planet, each with the power to become a tiny tipping point of their own. Indeed, with the power to change the world. But, like Confucius said, “Those who move mountains begin by carrying away small stones.” This article will focus on the difference between the Ecocentric and Ego-centric perspective.

The ego-centric perspective is based upon self-bias on the micro level, one-right-way dogma on the cultural level, and human-bias on the macro level. This is the type of perspective that has been entrenched within the human condition, and the way it governs itself, for arguably the last two thousand years. Its method is simple but unhealthy: conquer, control, consume, destroy, and repeat.

It does this over and over again, on both micro (individual) and macro (cultural) levels, leaving nothing but burnt-out husks in its wake – be those husks people or land, it matters little to the all-consuming “mine, mine, mine” baby-whine of the egocentric machine. It suckles slowly, but it’s a slow meaningless death. In the end, this unsustainable perspective chokes on the world and then consumes itself. It’s inevitable. Nothing that consumes more than its environment can produce can sustain itself.

The ego-centric perspective is immature and adolescent, suffering from a plethora of insecurities, anxieties, and neurosis. Unfortunately, our society is grossly egocentric. It is built upon military aggression, the control and exploitation of nature’s resources, and an entitled sense of national security that ignores the needs of other species, other nations, and even our own future generations.

The egocentric society is exceptional at controlling the world up to a point –the point at which it seems to be destroying it. Like Bill Plotkin wrote, “The egocentric society cuts out its own heart and attempts to live without it.” And so it has become the antithesis of man as human animal, whereas nature-based man is the apotheosis. Instead of only using our vainglorious narcissistic faces as mirrors for each other, we need to once again learn how to use the entire cosmos as a reflection.

Now enter the ecocentric perspective. It is more difficult to recognize because of the 2,000 year enculturation of the egocentric perspective, but it is based upon healthiness on the micro level, empathy and tolerance on the cultural level, and holistic cultivation and interconnectedness on the macro level.

This is the type of perspective that focuses on wellbeing, moderation, and balance. Its method is simple and healthy: discover, open, free, create, and rebirth. It does this over and over, on both micro and macro levels, leaving a cultivated garden of balanced forces and healthy, sustainable reproduction in its wake. It gives slowly, but it’s a meaningful gift.

The eco-centric perspective is about thinking holistically; what deep ecologist Arne Naess calls the “ecological self” or what James Hillman calls “a psyche the size of the earth.” The general principle of the psyche is that the deeper we understand ourselves the more of the world we will be able to identify with.

As ecologist Gregory Bateson asserts, “Psyche is not a separate entity from nature, it is an aspect of nature.” The natural world acts like a mirror for our psyches, a screen on which we project our fears and anxieties. Raised, as most of us are, in the egocentric culture, we are typically unable to recognize the connection between nature and psyche.

This is usually because of years and years of nature deprivation. When we deprive ourselves of nature we also deprive ourselves of a healthy psyche. This deprivation creates an unhealthy schism between the two, where psyche becomes psychosis and nature becomes anti-nature. And so our vision of ourselves and our reality becomes warped, and the dissociation between human nature and the “sacred other” occurs.

At the end of the day, a nation that favors competition over cooperation, taking over sharing and hoarding over gifting, approaches spiritual death. When profit is valued over people, money over meaning and entitlement over justice, we have given into the great lie of the ego: that everything is separate and not connected.

What we need is to put the “eco” back into economy. The primary goal should be a healthy process, not a good quarterly statement. This will require immense courage. Part two of Becoming the Tipping Point will go into adopting a courage-based lifestyle over a fear-based one.

Image Source:

The Tipping Point
Atlas
Small Acts

Pleasure and Pain – A Saga of the Human Mind

Garima Roy

-

February 8, 2014

10

Pleasure and Pain – A Saga of the Human Mind

Leonardo_da_Vinci_pleasure_and_pain_androgyn_corpus_with_two_heads — Leonardo Da Vinci Allegory of Pain and Pleasure

“Pleasure is regarded as pain because of it’s being mixed up with pain; and pleasure (accompanied by pain) is called pain in the same manner as honey mixed with poison is called poison.” – Nyaya Bhasya (Nyaya Sutras written by Aksapada Gautama in the 2nd century CE.)

Pleasure and Pain are the two existential qualities of the soul. Human life, for most of us, is reminisced in terms of pleasure and pain, but what triggers these emotions will differ from human to human.

Naiyayika, a non-Buddhist school of eternalism, states that pain is, actually, positive in nature. One can feel its strength in the experience of pain. The desiring and craving nature of human beings is the sole reason for the felt pain. When the wants are satisfied, a feeling of pleasure is experienced.

In Nyaya Darsana, the Hindu school of thought, the definition of pain is given, as Bhadhana laksanam duhkam, that means the characteristic of the pain is to obstruct. In other words, disagreeability causes pain. We seek comfort in agreeableness. Everything that opposes the mind is pain, and everything that is opposite of this is pleasure. The motivation behind any action is directly connected to it being pleasant or painful.

Pleasure and pain, says Prasastapada, can be with reference to the past as well as to the future objects. Past objects are remembered as objects of pleasure and this brings about present-day pleasure. The pleasure here is in remembrance, so also the pain.

With regard to the future objects, pleasure is produced by reflection. Even when there is neither object of pleasure nor memory of such an object, the Nyaya Bhasya says, wise men feel pleasure, “Because of their knowledge, the peaceful nature of their minds.” Knowledge here means the knowledge of the self, and peaceful nature of the mind means the control of the senses and the consequent tranquility.

Iccha (desire) and dvesa (loathing) are the psychological states of mind directly influenced by pleasure and pain. Humans affinity with fulfillment of desire always holds a priority in the mind. The failure in achieving that state of mind leads to Krodha (anger). One has to keep in mind that anger is the first reaction to aversion. Jung gives the pain pleasure scheme as the basis for all emotive activity.

The one that leads to peace is Prayatna (attempt). Attempt to understand the circumstances instead of reassuring the mind with temporary reasons. The facilitator of the attempting mind is Dhairya (patience) that comes with peace. Without being in peace, you cannot be patient. Patience comes with understanding your own emotions in the larger scheme of the universe.

If you are experiencing anger today, ask yourself, will you continue to be angry tomorrow or two years later?

Will you be mourning in pain in the subsequent years? All the answers lie within you and to get in touch with thyself one needs to be still. One needs to recognize that spiritual pleasures are eternal and valuable than worldly pleasures. After a considerable amount of time, in fact, the pleasures of this world become painful in the light of higher spiritual pleasures. We all with time learn to demolish the temporariness related to materialistic happiness by replacing the need to possess with the need to experience.

Spiritual pleasure is a self-inculcating journey. As you unfold the layers of pain and pleasure and reach that point where everything is governed by the plan of your own thoughts rather than external provocations, you begin to walk on the path of spiritual happiness.

Spiritual happiness is looking at ever-changing waves of the ocean yet knowing that the ocean deep down is always calm and poised. Realize the power of the self to connect with the cosmic energies that lies within you.

The idea is not to be ecstatic and joyful always but to learn to seek growth and strength in the pain experienced.

Fractal Enlightenment

The Enigmatic Art of Sylvian Dousset

Adopting a Courage-based Lifestyle over a Fear-based one ~ Become The Tipping Point, Part 2

Yopo: the Ancient Amazonian DMT Snuff

Adopting an Eco-centric Perspective Over an Egocentric one ~ Become the Tipping Point, Part 1

Pleasure and Pain – A Saga of the Human Mind

Related Posts

From Fool to Sage: 8 Gateways to Wisdom That Transcend Time

Four Genuine Acts of Immanence

The 8 Pillars of Joy: A Path to Inner Peace

The Middle Path: Life in Balance and How to Balance Yours

Quote for the Day

Others are reading

Are You the Toxic One in Your Relationships?

How to Simply Stay True to Yourself

Embracing Your Shadow Self

Reconnecting with the Wisdom we had as Children

Us